As the FA cup final is getting closer by the day, All Arsenal brings in a series of FA cup specials. Let’s start with a glimpse of this season’s run.
January- Arsenal 2 – Tottenham Hotspurs 0
Laugh till your lungs burst, 100 million spent and not able to buy a goal against your neighbours in three attempts. Spurs as a club always are such a joy to follow, whether it’s their chairman or their managers, the players, the White Shite lane faithful. In the third round of the cup, Arsenal met Tottenham and the Gunners emerged victorious. Theo started as a centre forward and our midfield was simply too much for theirs and the definitive moment was when our little Mozart robbed Rose off the ball and chipped it past Lloris to score Arsenal’s second and put the tie to bed. The only blot on a clean day for Arsenal was that Theo Walcott ruptured his ACL and would miss the rest of the season. And what did Theo flash with his fingers, anybody?
January- Arsenal 4- Coventry City 0
The game will always be remembered for its Friday night kick off and Arsenal started on the front foot and led by two goals at half time through Lukas Podolski. Coventry threatened in the second half but Giroud and Cazorla scored late to send the Gunners through. Interestingly four Germans started on the day and Zelalem came on as a sub to make it 5. Was that a sign of things to come, A Germanic Arsenal? It was our easiest cup match this season and the league one opponents put on a brave fight but Arsenal’s superior quality won them the game. A consummate professional performance.
February- Arsenal 2 – Liverpool 1
Just a week after our Anfield massacre, we met the Merseyside team this time at the Emirates. Sturridge and Suarez threatened our back line, both had chances and Sturridge in particular was the guilty party. He missed glorious chances and Fabianski was excellent that day. After absorbing some early pressure we went ahead when Chamberlain smashed one in. Our lead was doubled moments after half time when Podolski rifled in from the edge of the box. However we weren’t happy with the mundane nature of the game, so we let Liverpool back in the game. Podolski fouled Suarez in the box and Gerrard converted the penalty. Liverpool should have won another when Chamberlain clattered Suarez but Ref Howard Webb waved away the claims. We held on to a nervy but vital win. It wasn’t an ideal performance but the result was the ideal one. A win
March- Arsenal 4 – Everton 1
Next up our opponents in the quarter finals was the blue team from Merseyside. They are the only side to have scored from open play against us in this season’s FA cup so far. The mood surrounding the game was one of trepidation and frustration. We had lost to Hughes’s Stoke(a club so innovative that they play football in air) a week earlier and Arsenal were under immense pressure. Arsenal led when Mesut Ozil finished clinically, but the home side were pegged back when Lukaku kneed it home. The excellent Alex Chamberlain won Arsenal a penalty and ex Evertonian Mikel Arteta converted the penalty to give us the lead. Giroud later added further gloss to the score when he rammed in the third and fourth. It was a hard fought victory but one we thoroughly deserved.
April – Arsenal 1(4)- Wigan Athletic 1(2)
Before I get into the match, hats off to Lukasz Fabianski. He has conducted himself with class and Good luck to him. You have my respect man.
Not illustrious as our previous opponents but boy Wigan took us to the chasm. I would say they have been our toughest opponents in this run and it’s unthinkable to even imagine what would have happened had our BFG not equalised or Fabianski saved those spot kicks. If we are to win the FA cup, the Wigan match would be one of the defining in our season not just because it was a semifinal of a major competition, but the relief and feel good factor it brought was palpable. Am I the only one wishing Per a third goal at Wembley? Come on you Gunners. Gun Hull to Hell.
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